Syringe.



PATENTED FEB. 26, 1907.

TQ'J. KERNAN..

SYRIN GE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.11,1905.

1n: NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, n. c.

THOMAS J. KERNAN, OF AKRON, OHIO.

SYRBNGE.

are. 845,303.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

Application filed January 11, 1905. Serial No. 240,607.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. KERNAN, a

citizen of the United States, and residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Syringes, of which the following is a complete specification.

My invention has relation to syringes for injecting into the various cavities of the human body a fluid designed either to cleanse the same or to apply medical treatment thereto.

The objects of my invention are to produce a syringe of the before-mentioned type involving a compressible fluid-containing reservoir, in connection with suitable dischargetubes of various sizes and conformations to suit the various requirements and necessities to which such a syringe can be put; but pri marily this invention is especially adapted for throwing a whirling stream to be used as a vaginal irrigator, which will thoroughly and effectually cleanse the parts without injuring the sensitive surrounding tissue.

Another object of my invention is to so make the discharge nozzle or tubethat it will cause no abrasion of the surfaces with which it may come in contact and yet be capable of a ready filling and emptying.

To the accomplishment of the aforesaid objects my invention consists in the new and peculiar combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which is shown in sectional side elevation, a syringe in accordance with this invention.

In the drawing, 1 is a compressible fiuidcontaining reservoir, made, usually in substantially the shape herein shown, of vulcanized rubber and having sufficient inherent elasticity to return to its normal shape after being compressed while the discharge-tube is immersed in a fluid with which it is desired to fill the reservoir. In the upper narrownecked end of this fluid-reservoir is fastened, preferably by vulcanization, a hard-rubber union 2, perforated longitudinally and provided on its upper end with a threaded tip 3. WVhen this syringe is to be used as a vaginal irrigator, there is screwed onto the threaded tip 3 a discharge nozzle or tube 4, which may be cylindrical throughout, as shown in the drawing. Surrounding this discharge-tube 4 is an ordinary soft-rubber vaginal plug or shield 5, retaining itself in a desired position thereon by its elasticity, the opening through this shield 5 being somewhat smaller than the diameter of the tube 4, thereby requiring a stretching of the shield in order to place it in position.

The upper inner end of the discharge-tube 4 is beveled, as shown in the drawing, for a purpose to be stated. Extending across the interior of the tube 4 is a perforated diaphragm 6, the central perforation of which is threaded, and into this threaded opening is screwed the lower end of a vertical shaft 7, having, preferably integral with its upper end, a head or cap 8. This head or cap 8 is customarily rounded to prevent abrasion of the surrounding tissue in the cavity in which it is designed to be used and is of such a design and configuration as to effectually seat on the beveled inner portion of the upper end of the tube 4 when screwed down, and thereby close the same, and yet project far enough above the outer end of the dischargetube 4 as to permit the operator to grasp it with the fingers, and thereby revolve the same in order to vertically raise the head by means of the cooperation of the threaded end of the shaft 7 and the threaded opening in the diaphragm 6. It will be seen that the sides of the head 8, cooperating with the beveled portions of the inner top edges of the dis charge-tube 4, form an upwardly and out wardly extending annular discharge-opening, variable in size to suit the various requirements to which this form of syringe can be put-that is to say, as the head 8 is revolved in one direction it tends to narrow the annular space existing around the head 8 and when screwed in the opposite direction it will have the reverse effect; but in either event the effect produced by this upwardly and outwardly extending space is to cause the discharge of the fluid used in a continuous sheet with an outward inclination, as distinguished from a direct stream thrown from an ordinarily-shaped orifice.

Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 7, and preferably made of vulcanized hard rubber, is a conically-shaped whirling stream producer or member 9, having its apex downward. This whirling member 9 is provided on its outer surface with grooves 10, spirally arranged with respect to its axis of revolution. The vertical length of the whirling member 9 is somewhat shorter than the distance between the under face of the cap 8 and the upper surface of the diaphragm 6, and the upper surface of the whirling member 9 is prevented from complete contact with the under face of the head 9 by means of a collarll on shaft 7. The object attained by making this whirling member shorter in length than the space between the diaphragm 6 and the head 8 is to allow the vertical adjustment of the position of the head 8 with respect to the end of the discharge-nozzle 4, as heretofore described, and also to permit the dropping downward of the member 9 against the diaphragm 6 when the liquid is being drawn into the end of the discharge-tube 4, thus enlarging to a certain extent the annular passage, as well as withdrawing the member 9 a suflicient distance to obviate all danger of coming in contact with the tissue surrounding the cavity in which it is used, which might possibly be drawn into the annular space around the head 8 when the fluid used is redrawn into the syringe after cleansing or treating of the cavity. This peculiar function of allowing the whirling member 9 to drop downward or retreat from the outer end of the dischargenozzle 4 is aided by the collar 11, which assists the indrawn fluid in passing between the under face of the head 8 and top surface of the member 9, and thus facilitating their ready separation. This collar also has the function of reducing the friction whizh might otherwise exist between the abutting sur faces of the head 8 and member 9.

It will be obvious that in filling this syr inge the fluid-containing reservoir is compressed previous to the immersion of the discharge-tube in a suitable fluid, and the filling of the fluid-containing reservoir is obtained by the resilient action of the walls thereof. In use where it is desired to irrigate the vagina the shield or plug 5 is longitudinally adjusted in position on the tube 4 to suit the requirements of the patient, and after the filling of the reservoir by the method just described the compression of the fluid-containing reservoir will eject the fluid through the pipe 4 With some force, dependent, of course, upon the pressure exerted, and this fluid encountering the whirling member 9 in this passage will cause the same to whirl, and the fluid following the spirally-arranged grooves on its outer surface will receive a decided whirling motion, which is greatly sought after in the cleansing of those portions of the vagina immediately adjacent to the lower end of the uterus.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description and illustrations herein presented that if properly constructed in accordance therewith the invention is of such construction as to be incapable of inflicting injury to anyparts of the body with which it may come in contact.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A device of the character described comprising a compressible reservoir adapted to contain a fluid, a discharge-tube communicating at one end with said reservoir and having its other end provided with a beveled edge, a perforated disk secured in said tube near the beveled end thereof, a shaft positioned in said tube and having its inner end adjustably connected to said disk, a beveledshaped head connected to the outer end of said shaft, and an inverted-cone-shaped rotatable and longitudinally-shiftable member loosely mounted upon said shaft between said head and said disk and provided with peripheral grooves arranged spirally with respect to the axis of rotation, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the above I hereunto-set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS J. KERNAN.

In presence of MARKUs X. BYERS, C. E. HUMPHREY. 

